


A Little Bit Of Happy

by thirixm



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: F/M, Honestly not sure how to tag this, alternative ending to s2, bc i dont think i can actually come to terms with her death, more soft and gentle five/handler pls, no explicit romance, the handler was still shot but she comes back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26404036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirixm/pseuds/thirixm
Summary: With the apocalypse gone, Five is still coping with returning to modern times, coexisting with his family and the rest of the world. There is only one constant in his life - The Handler.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy/The Handler (Umbrella Academy)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	A Little Bit Of Happy

“You always manage to surprise me, Number Five.” Her voice rang sharply into the cityscape of the night. She found it a tad bit dramatic she’d find the boy looking over the city he had saved with the painful help of his family. He was right where he wanted to be.

“It’s a shame you didn’t settle for a better face,” he quipped back with little bite in his tone. Even after the apocalypse, he found his circadian clock hadn’t quite aligned with the right concept of time. In this time, he gazed upon the peaceful sounds of his home and made efforts to tie up loose ends. He heard The Handler laugh after taking a drag of her cigarette, the holder elegantly propped between her two fingers.

“You got what you wanted, didn’t you?” she asked. “You stopped the apocalypse, you saved yourself, your family, billions of people. And yet, you don’t seem to be celebrating.” She was right, of course. Five’s eyes still looked somber, or it must’ve been the bags under his eyes. All bitterness and the expectation of impending doom was drained from his eyes, leaving the main purpose of his existence to be empty. She didn’t have to pry to understand what was wrong. She already knew.

“Now what will you do?” Her rhetorical question glued itself to Five’s head. He heard her blow smoke.

“What will you do?” he deflected instead, finally setting his eyes on her. She was mostly covered in a black trench coat that looked akin to a trashbag with collars. She really hadn’t changed a lot.

She pondered the question. “I heard Italy has a few beautiful coastal towns.”

“You won’t stay here?”

She laughed. Controlled and posh, waving her hand dismissively in the air. “God no, it’s far too consistent here. It’s about time I take my retirement.” They shared a brief look. “You have everything you want, Five. It’s about time you retire as well.”

“And what if the world is in danger again?” His voice edged onto uncertainty.

“That depends, do you want it to be in danger? Or are you still coming to accept that you don’t know how to integrate yourself into a scheduled life?” Five threw a sharp glare. The Handler smiled and raised up defensive hands. “I’m just saying. You don’t seem to know what to do with yourself. It’s a little pathetic.”

“What do you suggest I do about that?” he said, clearly with gritted teeth. The boy finally learned to bite his tongue.

“That’s for you to figure out.”

They let the sound of the city settle to fill their silence. The lights poured into the horizon seamlessly. Everything was alive, like it was intended to be. Five can’t believe it took decades to get to this very moment. He had a lot of catching up to do. Not only with his family, but the rest of the world.

“Everybody wants happiness, Five,” The Handler said in a low voice. “Don’t miss your chance to get it.” Her heels clicked when she began to walk away, but abruptly stopped by the way Five shifted his feet against the concrete, effectively turning to face her. She turned around, giving him a knowing smile.

“Can you afford to stay for a few more days?”

“Afraid you’ll miss me?” she teased, but his iron gaze made her relent. “Come back to me in a few years. I have all the time in the world, but you’ve got a lot of growing up to do.”

He held back a smile but he couldn’t stop it. He tilted his head forward in poor attempts to hide the wide smile on his face, and ultimately turned back to the view. The Handler took this as his goodbye, and quirked her lips up before leaving. Five can hear her steps get more distant as she descended the roof. He counts on it that this won’t be his last encounter with her.


End file.
